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Band of the Week: Yuck

It seems like there is no escaping the current trend for nineties nostalgia: From the Back Street Boys/New Kids on the Block reunion tour, to the return of the Scream franchise, the decade’s influence on the current Zeitgeist is hard to ignore.

In a way, the grunge-inspired four-piece Yuck, who are three parts British, and one part American (thanks to New Jersey–raised drummer Jonny Rogoff) highlight another chapter in this current wave of nineties mania: Their self-titled debut album which was released last month, is a noise-filled walk down indie-rock’s memory lane, and has seen them draw comparisons to several much-revered names of early-nineties alternative rock, such as Dinosaur Jr., My Bloody Valentine, and Pavement.

Lead singer Daniel Blumberg, however, dismisses claims they’re capitalizing on the current appreciation for nineties-fused fuzz-rock. “When we started, we didn’t have any aims. We just did what felt right and recorded that,” he explained from California last week, where they were halfway through a U.S. tour. “It wasn’t a discussed thing,” he continued, going as far to say astute listeners should be able to hear the album’s lack of premeditation. “It kind of goes in different directions, it’s definitely a debut album in that way.”

Whether they set out to evoke it or not, there is no denying Yuck has the perfect nineties aesthetic, both aurally and visually (from their oversize knit sweaters and lumberjack shirts to the fact that Blumberg’s shaggy locks are almost never out of his eyes). But, if you excuse the pun, Yuck’s take on grunge doesn’t leave a nasty taste in your mouth. Beyond the reminiscing it might provoke, there is no denying Yuck has the element of carefree summer rock that most people cherish about grunge’s first wave, and in that sense their timing couldn’t be more perfect.